Life purpose is not just about the meaning of life in some grand, abstract, cosmic sense. It is about the meaning of your life. And it is not about chasing a carrot through life to reach some end destination that is down the road. It is about feeling that purpose in every step of the journey.

Why Bother?

What if you could eliminate

• the dissatisfaction that creeps into your daily life?
• the feelings that you are working a pointless and thankless job?
• the concerns that your not making a difference in the world?
• the nagging feeling that there must be more to life than what you’re experiencing?

Understanding your life purpose and incorporating it in all that you do is the antidote to all of the above. It provides you with a meaningful compass with which to gain direction in your life. If you are looking to transition into a new career or find a satisfying relationship, knowing your life purpose can help you know in which direction you should head.

If you simply have a nagging feeling that there must be something more in life, but you don’t feel that you need to change your job or revamp your relationships, discovering your life purpose can bring new levels of joy and passion to your life as it is now. It can help you discover why you love the things you love, and what you can do to get even more of that good stuff.

Whichever category you fall into, the first tip I want to give you to help you with your mission is that it’s not about what you do, it’s about who you are while you are doing it.

Being vs Doing

Your life purpose is not about what you do for a living. Or what you do at all. Your life purpose is not tied to any one activity. It is not about the doing. It is about the being. It is about the “you” that shows up in everything that you do.

Life leaves clues. So what you do in life-whether it be your job, your hobbies, or any of your daily activities-is the starting point for finding you life purpose. Your first task in discovering your life purpose is to dive below the surface of your activities and take a look at what is happening on the inside during each activity. In particular, take a look at the ones that make you feel the most at peace, happy, content, passionate, and purposeful. You can begin by asking yourself:

• What are you doing when you lose all track of time?
• What is similar in all the things you love to do?
• What is the feeling you get when you engage in these activities?

Make a list of the top five descriptors or feelings that come up as you answer these questions. This list of words will tap into the core of who you are in all that you do. Start thinking about how you can get more of those feelings in your life. Use that list of words to help you make choices throughout your day that keep you aligned with your core. When you can match up your outside activities with who you know you are at your very core, you experience greater happiness, energy and success. You are living your life purpose.

This article is part one of a three part series on finding and following your life purpose. Life Purpose Basics will continue with part two: What Does “Meaning” Mean?